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New Canaan
New Canaan was a town established among the ruins of Ogden, Utah, inhabited predominantly by Mormons, usually referred to as New Canaanites.The Courier: "What can you tell me about New Canaan?" Jed Masterson: "Don't know much about the place, but I can tell you about the people. The New Canaanites were some kind of religious group from before the War. They control the old city of Ogden, a ways north of Zion, and they got themselves a nice defensible mission in the canyon itself - or they did. They trade a fair bit with the tribes in Zion - well, the ones that don't try and kill them, anyways." (Jed Masterson's dialogue) Background The town was founded by Prophet Judah Black in 2235, among the ruins of the once great city of Ogden. The settlers were survivors from New Jerusalem, a previous Mormon settlement established in Salt Lake City, the destroyed pre-War capital of the Latter Day Saints. An unknown catastrophe forced the Jerusalem citizens out, rumored to be linked to their refusal to deal with outsiders. Out of the shattered glass and broken steel of SLC, Black led his people north, to Ogden. The community suffered as they rebuilt, but prevailed, despite numbering barely a hundred. After Judah Black's death in 2245, the community's leadership passed to Jeremiah Rigdon, who claimed to have experienced visions from God in 2247. Though many believed in him, some distrusted him and left.New Canaan design document Years of peace allowed New Canaan to become a powerful force in the north, controlling a majority of trade routes north of the Mojave.The Courier: "Does the Crimson Caravan have any competition?" Alice McLafferty: "Well, the Gun Runners continue to dominate the weapons market, and the Mormon traders from New Canaan control the majority of the northern routes." (Alice McLafferty's dialogue) Rumors of its existence reached the Republic a few decades before 2281 and eventually contact between the two entities took place. The Republic, initially mistrustful over the religious nature of the New Canaanites (after its own experiences with religious cults), was happy to discover that the Canaanites were honest traders and good fighters, keeping the raider populations in checkThe Courier: "Do you know anything about their religion?" Jed Masterson: "I ain't a prayin' man myself. They paid for their goods and dealt square with us, that's all I ever cared about. But don't think that just because they're religious that they're pacifists. They take care of their own, and they're damn fine marksmen too." (Jed Masterson's dialogue) and developing a trade network. In fact, learning how to handle a .45 Auto pistol was considered a Mormon rite of passage, helping build up a strong defensive force that allowed New Canaan to survive in the violent Utah as one of the few islands of stability in a sea of regional warlords, raider tribes, and cannibals.The Courier: "I haven't been through Utah recently - what's the situation like?" Jed Masterson: "Well, it ain't good, I'll tell you that. It's not like the Mojave or the NCR - hell, even Arizona under Caesar is safer. You got raiders all over the damn place, tribes of degenerates that'll eat you as soon as look at you, regional warlords... the works. Not too many decent places to stop and trade. New Canaan's one of the only ones left I know about." (Jed Masterson's dialogue)The Courier: "Nice guns." Joshua Graham: "In the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, all tribes are known for a specific weapon. White Legs are known for their big submachine guns, "storm drums." They broke into an armory near Spanish Fork and have been using them for years. Of course, the Dead Horses have their wooden war clubs and even the Sorrows have their Yao Guai gauntlets. This type of .45 Automatic pistol was designed by one of my tribe almost four hundred years ago. Learning its use is a New Canaanite rite of passage." (Joshua Graham's dialogue)Honest Hearts intro: "A few decades back, folks in the NCR started to hear about a community in northern Utah called New Canaan. Didn't know much about them, except that they were religious folks. Sent out missionaries to talk to the tribes. We've seen our share of cults, but the New Canaanites, they were honest traders. Good fighters, too. Raiders wouldn't tangle with 'em. But then the Legion appeared in Arizona. I reckon you know all about them. Turns out Caesar's first war chief, the Malpais Legate, was a New Canaanite. Joshua Graham. Legend goes that Graham was the meanest, toughest son of a bitch in the whole damned Legion. The New Canaanites wouldn't talk about him. They were ashamed. Guess I can't blame 'em. Well at Hoover Dam, the Malpais Legate finally met his match. Hanlon and Oliver kicked his New Canaanite butt right back over the river. Caesar had to make an example for the others, to show them that even at the highest level, failure wouldn't be tolerated. He had Graham covered in pitch, lit on fire, and thrown into the Grand Canyon. People say he didn't even scream on the way down. Not long after, some of the slaves and tribals started to talk. Said Graham wasn't dead. Shouldn't have been any surprise. All this talk bothered Caesar, so he forbade anyone from speaking his name. Wanted to erase Joshua Graham from history. He got his wish. Joshua Graham disappeared. And in his place came legends of the Burned Man walking the wastes. Probably just a tribal ghost story. But New Canaan's been silent for a long time. Maybe it's a coincidence. Maybe the Malpais Legate is dead." The expansion of NCR and growth of Canaanite trade routes eventually resulted in competition between Canaanite caravans and the largest of the NCR-aligned trading companies, most notably the Crimson Caravan. Protectionism in trade helped Canaan to maintain an edge, but by 2281, they were willing to allow Crimson Caravan to open a trading post in the city, under proper taxes, of course.Crimson Caravan Company terminal entries; Terminal, New Canaan Branch Proposal The prosperity was not meant to last. Though powerful and prosperous, its days were numbered. The countdown started with the return of Joshua Graham, after three months of a harrowing journey through the wasteland. Graham survived being set on fire and thrown into the Grand Canyon. Though he effectively betrayed them, the New Canaanites welcomed him as the prodigal son, as if he had never left.The Courier: "How did you survive?" Joshua Graham: "I survived because the fire inside burned brighter than the fire around me. I fell down into that dark chasm, but the flame burned on and on. The next morning, I woke up and crawled out of the northern edge of the Grand Canyon, that cursed place. It took me three months to reach New Canaan. It was as though the prodigal son had returned. They welcomed me like I had never left, never done anything to shame them. The fire that had kept me alive was love. Their love. God's love. I will never be able to repay the debt I owe to them, but I must try." (Joshua Graham's dialogue) Graham's survival was known to Caesar, who immediately began sending out assassins and frumentarii to track him down and kill him. By returning to New Canaan, Graham doomed the city, as it also became an important trade route and one of the potential supply routes for the NCR in the Mojave.The Courier: "On the High Road, you mentioned NCR and Legion fought here... before and after the Divide?" Ulysses: The two-headed Bear made its claim, dug its claws into the trail you made. For once, it seemed like it might succeed - cut a route to the Mojave. Couldn't let NCR stay in the Divide. Trade route, road the military could use... can't have two roads into the Mojave. " (Ulysses' dialogue) Destruction of New Canaan Caesar contacted the White Legs through one of his most capable frumentarii, Ulysses. Though the raider tribe was always a problem for New Canaan,The Courier: "Degenerate tribes?" Jed Masterson: "That's right. The folks that lived in Zion before the war, they didn't just get a little savage, they're downright feral. Most of them don't even speak English anymore - you got to get yourself a New Canaanite translator to talk to them. The ones you really got to watch out for are the White Legs, from the Great Salt Lake. They'll attack just about anyone that ain't one of theirs." (Jed Masterson's dialogue) their disorganized nature and lack of infrastructure meant they were manageable. With Ulysses at the helm, they became capable of wiping out New Canaan - and were mandated to do so by Caesar.The Courier: "You said you "used to" help the Sorrows with problems. What do you do now?" Daniel: "I'm trying to make amends for allowing our problem to become their problem. The New Canaanites, I mean. The White Legs have always fought with us, and with Joshua returning, Caesar has motivated the White Legs to stamp out the New Canaanites entirely. That means the tribes we work with, too. It's already I just want to prevent something terrible from happening to the Sorrows." (Daniel's dialogue (Honest Hearts)) Ulysses took the White Legs and crafted them into a weapon. They were violent and could not live on their own, so rather than teach them how to live, he taught them how to murder. The walls of New Canaan were high, but once Ulysses uncovered New Canaan supply caches and helped the White Legs break into pre-War armories, they finally had the means to scale them.Ulysses log Y-17.21 Ulysses dictated that they must kill everyone they find: Women, children, the elderly. He spoke of strength and Caesar's respect, but he only wanted to use them as tools. As distasteful as he found it, he followed his orders and ordered the death of a people with ancestry going back thousands of years. Another civilization, extinguished by the wasteland.Ulysses log Y-17.22 The White Leg attack took New Canaan by surprise. It happened at night, at a time when Joshua Graham and many other able-bodied New Canaanites were away. The White Legs invaded the city and butchered everyone they found. Children were slaughtered in their beds, people found in the streets were cut down without mercy, while the elderly Bishop Mordecai was burned alive in his home.The Courier: "What happened at New Canaan?" Daniel: " " (Daniel's dialogue (Honest Hearts)) By dawn, maybe thirty New Canaanites were left in the region, scattered to the winds.The Courier: "I'd like to talk to you about Mordecai." Daniel: " like you to drop it. It's a private matter." The Courier: "You're the man in charge. If something's troubling you, it could affect all of us." Daniel: "SUCCEEDED I never thought I'd be in charge of anything. Don't know why. Bishop Mordecai was old. He had been sick for years. He couldn't walk anymore. It wasn't a problem for the rest of us. When the White Legs came... . We couldn't get him out in time. The house caught fire at the base and worked its way up. Fast. He didn't die of smoke. I wish he had. Sometimes I wake up and for a minute or two, I think all of it was a dream. But it's not. It wasn't. I wish all of this were some fevered vision of what could have been. Instead of what is, what we let happen." (Daniel's dialogue (Honest Hearts))The Courier: "If you don't acknowledge your past now, it'll come back to you later." Daniel: "SUCCEEDED True enough. We can't escape it no matter how hard we try. Best we can do is own up, trust in the Lord to forgive. Joshua was gone, so were a lot of the other New Canaanites. White Legs must have been watching for a long while, counting who remained. We didn't think the White Legs were a real threat. Maybe it was overconfidence. Maybe sloth. Either way, we didn't see them coming. They attacked at night. They killed without regard to age or infirmity. Armed or unarmed. Beat them to death in their beds while they were sleeping. And now we're all that's left. Maybe thirty of us. " (Daniel's dialogue (Honest Hearts))The Courier: "Well, I'm guessing you're pretty mad about something." Joshua Graham: "The White Legs didn't just force my people out of New Canaan. They butchered everyone who wasn't fast enough to get away. The elderly, the ill, children. Those who stopped to help the wounded. It made no difference to them. They can't be reasoned with, the White Legs. Daniel believes that if we leave if the Sorrows leave, the White Legs will stop. He doesn't understand what this kind of tribe is like." (Joshua Graham's dialogue) The survivors regrouped along the Colorado River, with two seemingly incompatible men standing their ground at Zion. Joshua Graham and Daniel became leaders of two tribes from the canyon and sought different solutions to the White Leg onslaught. Graham wanted to face them alongside the Dead Horses and slaughter them, in retribution for New Canaan. Daniel wanted something different: To evacuate Zion and lose the scavengers in the Grand Staircase and the wilderness beyond.The Courier: "I came here with the Happy Trails Caravan Company to make contact with the New Canaanites." Joshua Graham: "Happy Trails. The White Legs want to join the Legion. Caesar's rite of passage is the destruction of the New Canaanites, almost assuredly because of me. The good news is that we can help you find your way back. Daniel, one of the other New Canaanites, has made many maps of the region. The bad news is that we can't help you right now. Not with everything that's going on." (Joshua Graham's dialogue) All the while, the world outside has not yet learned of New Canaan's destruction...The Courier: "So what's next for you?" Ringo: "I'm getting ready to run a caravan up towards Utah. There's a town called New Canaan which is supposed to be pretty prosperous. The Crimson Caravan doesn't have any branches out that way, so it'll be up to me get to things started." (Ringo's dialogue) The history of New Canaan does not end with the fall of the city, however. Though the city was razed, the New Canaanites survived. As long as they live, the legacy of New Canaan will live on, rebuilding elsewhere.The Courier: "Are the New Canaanites really a tribe?" Joshua Graham: "We wear more clothing than them and understand more about technology, but we're still a tribe, a linked family of families. The Boneyard, Phoenix, New Vegas, they're just places, metal and stone. New Canaan dies, but the tribe lives on. When the walls come tumbling down, when you lose everything you have, you always have family. And your family always has tribe." (Joshua Graham's dialogue) However, it does mean hardships for any outfit used to trading with them - like Happy Trails Caravan Company,The Courier: "Why can't you get to Salt Lake City?" Jed Masterson: "Without New Canaan's mission in Zion, the only ways to Salt Lake City are down the old I-80 or up through Ogden. The highway's too risky - NCR's rangers are so busy here in the Mojave they don't have the manpower to keep the raiders off. Ogden's just too far - we'd lose more in travel expenses than we'd ever earn." (Jed Masterson's dialogue) which relied on its mission in Zion to turn a profit.The Courier: "I understand this caravan is headed to Zion. What can you tell me about the area?" Jed Masterson: "Well, I ain't never been inside, myself. Did some trading with the New Canaanites from their mission there, but that was all on the outskirts. All the old ways in and out were destroyed after the War, but we got ourselves the location of a pass the New Canaanites use - that's our way in. That's why I wanted someone with a Pip-Boy on the caravan - the map'll be helpful for checking the topography, keeping us on the trail." (Jed Masterson's dialogue) Layout The outskirts border on the Great Salt Lake, Utah, and consist primarily of ruined buildings occupied by squatters and drifters, (like the west end of Klamath in Fallout 2). The main problem in this area is the presence of NCR refugees. Some of them are bad seeds and dislike the strict rules and regulations of the town. A few of them even stay outside of the crude town walls themselves, having been exiled from the community for immoral behavior. This is actually very troublesome, as Jeremiah Maxwell only distributes free water to people living inside the town itself. The primary features of this map are the eastern wall and gate, the squatter houses, the guardhouse, the general store, and the slaughterhouse. Every day, Jeremiah and several brave Mormons journey out to have supper with the refugees on the exterior. Once a person has been expelled, the only way they are allowed back into Canaan is by submitting to the Mormon baptismal rite. The town borders on the Great Salt Lake. It is surrounded by concrete and makeshift walls. The Canaanites keep most of their houses and businesses here. The town section is cleaner than the outskirts section, and relatively intact, considering an atomic firestorm once swept through the area. In addition to the modest homes and farms of the Canaanites, the main features of the town are the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the New Canaan sheriff's office/jail, and the pump house. Jeremiah Rigdon and two priests are generally found at the church, though all three have homes of their own. One of the most important aspects of the New Canaan community is its racial tolerance. Four ghouls (one glowing) and one super mutant mark the extremes of a very mixed community. Ogden's Union Station sits unused. If the player gets the trains up and working, he or she can take the train here. A few people live near the train tracks, including most of the super mutant and ghoul members of the Mormon faith. It's a little messier than the town itself but not as bad as the outskirts. Buildings Inhabitants * Nephi (Formerly) * Doctor Bert Gunnarsson (Formerly) }} Related quests Notes * From a dialogue with Joshua Graham, each tribe has a favorite weapon. New Canaan's has been the .45 Auto pistol for over 400 years. Joshua possesses a unique model of this weapon, which he masters to perfection, but not Daniel, preferring the .45 Auto submachine gun. * If you ask Ringo, a trader from the Crimson Caravan Company, about what's next for him, he will say that he will be leading the first major caravan to New Canaan. He has no knowledge of the White Legs that destroyed it. Appearances New Canaan does not appear in any of the published games, but was to appear in the canceled Fallout 3 project by Black Isle codenamed Van Buren, and was designed mostly by J.E. Sawyer. In later drafts of design documents, it says that New Canaan was destroyed in riots and Jericho is all that remained of it, but as New Canaan is mentioned occasionally and appears in graffiti in Fallout: New Vegas, this is non-canon. Some of the graffiti may be found in abandoned places that are not marked locations such as old garages or road signs. New Canaan is also mentioned frequently in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Honest Hearts and appears to have been destroyed by the White Legs. Behind the scenes * Canaan was the land believed to have been promised by God to Abraham and his followers in the Bible. * New Cannan is based on the real world location of Ogden, Utah. * According to the location's design document, the design for this town was inspired by The Mission and The Last Temptation of Christ, as well as the opening of The Gunslinger. * New Canaan is also the barony of which Gilead is the capital city in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. It is the hailing point of the gunslingers. The preferred weapon is the "hard caliber" (speculated to be the .45), though only a revolver. The .45 Colt was made for revolvers in 1872; it is sometimes known as .45LC, the Long Colt. "Hard caliber" refers to the pressing process, where the solid lead is hard cast into shape. Sources * New Canaan design document * Jericho design document External links * No Mutants Allowed :: View topic - At something awful, new VB screenshot * No Mutants Allowed :: View topic - Sean K. Reynolds interview at DAC References Category:Fallout: New Vegas mentioned-only locations Category:Honest Hearts mentioned-only locations Category:Lonesome Road mentioned-only locations Category:Post-War sovereign states Category:New Canaan Category:Van Buren towns de:Neu Kanaan nl:New Canaan pl:Nowe Kanaan ru:Нью-Ханаан uk:Нью-Ханаан